The ascent of Melissa McCarthy as a leading actress has been remarkable.
Ever since she stole “Bridesmaids” back in 2011 with her stunning turn as Megan Price, which earned her an Academy Award and BAFTA nomination, the comedian has co-starred in “Identity Thief,” “Ghostbusters” and “The Heat” and been the lead in “Spy,” “Tammy,” “The Boss” and “Life Of The Party.”
The latter three films cost just $79 million to make but have grossed over $200 million, an amount that will rise even more as “Life Of The Party” has only just been released.
They were also directed by Ben Falcone, McCarthy’s husband, who I recently had the chance to talk to regarding their comedies.
During our chat I flat out asked Falcone, “Why have your and Melissa McCarthy’s films been so successful in recent years?” Falcone was more than happy to try and explain.
“The main thing that we do, whether it is with the studio or the actors or the crew or with ourselves, is that we try to remember that it is really hard to get these jobs, no matter what your role is.”
“We are all lucky to be there. We don’t want to work with anybody who doesn’t feel lucky or grateful to be there. And that goes for the studio, too.”
“New Line was such a great marriage for us, and Universal did such a great job with ‘The Boss,’ but being at New Line, where we have done the bulk of our work, is really an amazing thing, too. Because there are things that happen at the studio level, as well.”
“If I was going to attribute anything to anything it is just that we really try to surround ourselves with great people. And we try to make everybody aware that we are happy to be there. And we are going to work for it. And if everyone is willing to do so it should be a fun time and we should get a fun product.”
You can lap up McCarthy and Falcone’s latest project now, as “Life Of The Party” has just been released in cinemas.
